With or Without You
by Derz
Summary: This story was inspired by the video game Soul Calibur. Aya Moritaka is our heroine who on her sixteenth birthday began having vivid dreams about unusal events that her grandmother, Xianghua, says are pieces from her past life.
1. Chapter 1 Don't Panic

**Quick Background Information:**

**Aya Moritaka** - Heroine who on her sixteenth birthday began having vivid dreams about unusal events that her grandmother says are pieces from her past life. Was taught how to

fight with a Chinese sword by grandmother and mother from a very young age.

**Hikaru Moritaka** - Youngest of the Moritaka family. Has a crush on her sister's best friend, Setsuna. Student in the arts of the Wind Dance, decided to pursue after deceased

aunt left her two elbow blades passed down to the third child of the Moritaka family throughout the generations.

**Kyo Moritaka -**Aya and Hikaru's older brother. Hottest boy in school. Best friends with Juanes and plays drums in his band. Skillful in the art of Ling Sheng Su Style Rod, taught

to him by his grandfather.

**Rin Satsou - **Best friend to Aya and Juanes' twin sister. Is also half Spanish and half Japanese. Has a secret crush but no one knows who her crush is.

**Setsuna Yuki** - Aya's best friend who harbors a deep love within him for her, among other things. Knows secrets from the past, no one knows why.

**Juanes Satsou - **Rin's twin brother, who claims to be older by two minutes. Plays in a band with Kyo. Very handy with a bow and arrow. He has a soft spot for Hikaru; Was

named by his Spanish mother.

**Hiro Kaneshi - **Sexy young new history teacher with an unknown past and an unknown interest in Aya.

**Kasumi** - A young woman from Kyo's past who was possibly a shinobi ninja.

* * *

_She raised her sword towards the sky. The sun's rays caught in the blade of Himura, the sword he had given to her. The one he had forged with his own two hands; _

_Slaughtered by his creation. She began to stumble past his body. She was covered in his blood. Her vision began to blur, the burning sensation of the tears warmed her _

_face. In her grief and despair she caught a glimpse of someone... a shadow. But who was it...? She reached for the unknown figure, leaning on Himura for support until _

_she could no more and collapsed to the ground. The sound of metal hitting the earth echoed through the desolate area, as Himura fell along with it's master. Sand and _

_dirt flew into the air, sticking to her wounds. She wiped her tears, only smearing the blood that tainted her face. As she attempted to pick herself up again, she fell to _

_her knees once more. She heard breathing that was at a steady pace unlike hers. She turned her head with a snap only to see feet that didn't belong to her. She looked _

_up towards the sky, the stranger's face was blocked by the intensity of the sun. She raised her arm to shield against the sunlight that blocked her vision... and there the _

_person was. She gasped. The tears swelled up in her eyes once more. Rage and the sense of defeat whirled inside her. She let out an exasperated cry. She gritted her _

_teeth as she desperately struggled to lift herself up. The stranger lifted his sword over his head and with a mighty swing, let it down..._

_**:The Pillows- Hybrid Rainbow began to play:**_

Aya awoke in a cold sweat. What was that dream about?' That was the fourth time she's had that dream since her sixteenth birthday. She wondered if her grandmother was right

about her dreams. The Pillows continued to play as she fell out of bed.

"Yea?" Aya muttered, still half asleep as she answered her cell phone.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" A familiar male voice shouted on the other end of the line.

"Give me the phone..Setsuna calm down." A female seemed to have taken hold of the phone on the other end.

"Rin! Tell Setsuna next time he yells like that I'm going to break his jaw. Why are you guys calling me so early, anyway?" Aya picked at the crusts on the corner of her eyes.

"Fat Chance!" yelled Setsuna

"So early? Tell me something, Aya. Why are Kyo and Hikaru in school and you are no where to be found? I mean, you guys live together."

"Why would Hikaru and Kyo be in school today? It's Saturday."

"Wrong, it's Thursday. Get your ass out of bed and in school before the headmaster calls your parents again and you can't make it to The Pillow's concert tomorrow night!"

"Thursday! Oh man."

Aya rushed in and out of the shower and out the house before her parents could predict they would be receiving a call from the headmaster again. She realized she had no time to

wait for the bus so she decided to run to school. Before she knew it, she was infront of her homeroom sweating and smelling like the onions she had on her cheeseburger the night

before. From where she was standing, she could see Setsuna sleeping and Rin drawing on his face with her favorite Pochacco pen. She gave a heavy sigh and opened the door.

"Ah, Miss Moritaka, late again I see." Mr. Tanaka gave a heavy sigh.

Aya could hear Setsuna chuckling in the back. She felt the sudden urge to smash his face against the floor a few times.

She quickly scanned her brain for any reasonable excuses she hadn't used for being late, but to no avail. So she decided to go with the ever so popular...

"I'm sorry Mr. Tanaka, you see uh. There was lots of traffic today."

"And how do you think I got here? Flying! You'll just have to get up earlier."

"Yes Sir."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to inform the headmaster of this. It's your fifth tardy this month and you are only allowed six."

"Oh Mr. Tanaka please don't. I won't be late anymore I promise! I'll do anything!"

"That's enough. Please take your seat, Miss Moritaka."

"Yes Sir."

Aya, head hung low, sauntered to her desk which was situated next to Rin and infront of Setsuna.

"I knew you'd do something to screw up tomorrow night." Setsuna grumbled.

"Shut up, Setsuna. Oh man this really bites. Now I won't be able to go because Tanaka's on a mission to ruin my life. I think he's succeeding." Aya whimpered.

"It's your own damn fault." sneered Setsuna.

"Don't panic. Everything happens for a reason." Rin assured.

"Oh man, today sucks. I should of wrote a note on my pillow saying 'Aya stay asleep in bed exclaimation point. Exclaimation point." Aya lowered her head, her forehead hitting the

desk. "Exclaimation point. Exclai...' "

"Alright we get it!" Setsuna shouted, standing up from his seat angrily.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Yuki?" Mr. Tanaka asked apatheticaly.

Setsuna looked around at the number of eyes that had fallen on him due to his abrupt shouting. He took a big gulp and sat back down in his seat.

"No Sir. I apologize."

Suddenly the classroom door opened and in strolled a rugged looking stranger. He had dark messy hair, and it seemed he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Dark sunglasses hung

from the middle of his shirt. His jacket hung from his index finger and it was swung over his back. He looked like the classic bad boy.

"Who the hell is that?"

"If they can't save me from my current situation, I don't care." Aya muttered.

"Do you always have to curse, Setsuna?" Rin scolded.

"What? Hell isn't a curse! Anyway! Who are you, my mother?"

"Ah. Class I would like you all to meet, Mr. Kaneshi. He will be your new History teacher. This, unfortunately, is my last day as your instructor, and you Miss Moritaka decided to

show me how much you cared by being late."

Aya's head snapped back in repsonse to Mr. Tanaka's remark, and there he was. The object of all the girl's "Ooo's and Ahh's". She couldn't see what was so great about him. He

was slightly attractive, but nothing to drool over. She wondered why he was staring at her, when she realized that Mr. Tanaka had made her the center of attention. She blinked in

confusion and replied,

"I'm sorry, Sir. I forgot."

"Perhaps if you stayed awake in class you would have known."

"He's got a point there, Aya."

"Shut up." Aya slapped Setsuna in the face with her History book.

Rin glanced at the clock, "Saved by the bell."

"Oh yea, that's original." Setsuna rubbed his bruised face.

"Must you always...?" Rin glared at him.

Suddenly the class bell rang and everyone stood up from their seats, each of them going to say their last personal goodbyes to their teacher. Aya was the last one to go. She

promised Rin and Setsuna she'd catch up with them after she apologized again to Mr.Tanaka. She frowned and tapped her teacher on the shoulder.

"Mr. Tanaka, I..."

"I know you're sorry, Aya. I was just poking fun at you, for the last time."

"So you're not going to tell the headmaster about my tardies?" Aya asked with a smile.

Mr. Tanaka sighed. He looked at Mr. Kaneshi and grinned.

"Well Miss Moritaka, I have a solution to both our problems. I promised Mr. Kaneshi that I would show him around the school but I won't be able to keep my promise because

I have a teacher's meeting. If you would, please, dedicate your whole day to showing him around, I will not inform the headmaster of your tardies."

"What about my other classes, sir?"

"Don't worry about it. I will send out a memo. Today you will be excused from all work, Miss Moritaka. I believe this is what they call a win win situation. You do me a favor and I

don't tell the headmaster about your tardies."

"But why?"

"Just call it a good bye gift, my dear."

Aya smiled and hugged her teacher for the last time. She took another glance at the young man who was to become her new instructor. She gave a heavy sigh and put out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Aya Moritaka. I will be your tour guide, heh. Not that there's much to show around this place."

The young man named Kaneshi shook her hand with a pleasant grin.

"You can call me Hiro."

**:A few hours later:**

"It's fourth period already, where could Aya be?" Rin fumbled with her Pochacco keychain.

"She probably ditched us and went back home." Setsuna yawned.

"She wouldn't do that..."

"And this is where the lunch room is. A piece of advice, you should bring your own lunch and not eat the one they serve here. It's really gross. Come to think of it, I forgot my lunch

at home. I guess I'm having vomit for lunch." Aya gave a heavy sigh.

"I was planning on leaving for lunch. Would you want to come?" Kaneshi stopped infront of the court yard entrance, located across from the lunch room doors. Aya glanced out

into the court yard. The cherry blossoms contrasted brightly against the seemingly dark grey sky.

"If you don't mind paying for me."

"Of course if I invite you, it's because I'm going to pay."

"Hey Hikaru, can you give this to Aya? Mom just dropped it off at the office. She forgot it this morning." Kyo handed his sister a brown paper bag. Hikaru peered into the bag.

"Of course, she had to leave her lunch. As a matter of fact I bet mom had to make it for her too!" Hikaru yelled in disappointment.

"Kyo!"

Hikaru and Kyo both turned around to find Juanes running towards them with a crumbled paper in his hand. He handed the paper to Kyo, gasping for air.

"Hola Hikaru", Juanes panted as he fought to catch his breath.

"Hey Juanes." Hikaru smiled, sympathetically.

"What is this?" Kyo asked, opening the paper.

"It's just a piece of paper I put my gum in, haha."

Kyo balled up the paper and gum and chugged it at Juanes, missing him and hitting the girl behind him. The balled up gum and paper stuck to the back of the girl's head. The trio

quietly walked away from her before she had noticed.

"Himeno sent me to come get you. Told me you got a package in the front office." Juanes glanced behind his shoulder to see the girl and her friends struggling to remove the ball. He

began to chuckle.

"A package? I'm gonna go check it out. Hikaru, remember to give that to Aya."

"Will do big brother."

"See ya later Kyo." Juanes and Kyo smashed fists.

"Later."

"Hikaru, I'll help you find Aya. I need to talk to Setsuna anyway." Juanes smiled.

"Setsuna?"

"Yea. Him, Rin, and your sister are always together. I want to see if he was interested in singing for our band."

"Oh."

"Hey isn't that Aya over there with that guy?" Juanes pointed.

"Yea... wonder who he is."

"Doesn't have a unform on... Hey that's that new History teacher. Mr. Kaneshi."

"Aya! Aya! Hold on!" Hikaru yelled as she ran towards her sister with a bag in her hand.

Aya smirked, "Hope that means I get to pick the place too."

Mr. Kaneshi began to walk outside. Aya bit her bottom lip; She followed him outside. Kaneshi turned to her as it began to rain.

"You don't care what people might think when they see you and me together?"

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea." Aya smiled and looked up at the sky. She walked out into the rain with her arms open, allowing the raindrops to fall on her. "Life is made up of chances you never get back."

Mr. Kaneshi swung his jacket over his head and walked towards Aya, covering her and himself with his jacket.

"Come on."

Was all Kaneshi said.

Hikaru ran to the courtyard entrance only to be stopped by the rain that seemed to pour harder with every step her sister took with the unknown man named Kaneshi. She stood at

the foot of the entrance, as if something was calling her towards the car her sister was getting into. The raindrops danced on Hikaru's shoes.

"I guess we just missed her." Juanes grabbed the paper bag from Hikaru and pulled out a sandwhich. Hikaru smiled at Juanes, as she backed away from the courtyard entrance.

"Hey, who's this Kaneshi guy?" Hikaru asked.

"Tanaka decided to resign and Kaneshi is the guy replacing him as History teacher."

"Kind of young don't you think?"

"They say he used to be a teacher back in Osaka but then transfered here due to some family issues he had to take care of."

"Really...?"

"Hikaru!" Rin shouted across the hall, running towards her. Setsuna apathetically sauntering after her.

"Setsuna! Just the guy I wanted to see." Juanes said with the huge grin he always carried.

"Why'd you want to see me?" Setsuna inquired calmly.

"Kyo and me need a singer for our band and Aya told us you were the guy to talk to."

"WHAT? Aya said that? What the hell does she think, I'm a Backstreet Boy?"

"He's talking about singing in a rock band, you idiot." Rin corrected, "Speaking of Aya, have you guys seen her?"

"Yea, she left with the new teacher guy, Kaneshi." Juanes responded, taking another bite out of Aya's sandwhich.

The class bells began to ring and everyone rushed to their classes, the four of them standing in the middle of the rush. Setsuna's eyes widened at the news of Aya and Kaneshi,

Hikaru taking note of his reaction decided to change the subject.

"Well we have to go to class. We'll catch you guys later." Hikaru began walking, dragging Juanes along with her. Setsuna glanced at Rin.

"What is she doing with that guy?" He asked, sounding bothered by the news.

"Maybe they saw wrong. Or maybe she was just showing him around. Anyway I have to get to my class. I'll see you after." Rin walked away to her class, leaving Setsuna alone

with his thoughts.

"So...He's back..."


	2. Chapter 2 When it Rains

"Hey, Himeno. Juanes told me you had a package here for me?"

Kyo stood on the outside of the highschool front office desk. Glancing at his watch impatiently, he sighed as the young girl fumbled with the very long package. She handed it to

Kyo with a wink and her phone number folded on a piece of pink paper. Kyo responded with a smile then searched the package for a return address. It was from Kyoto. There

was a note attached to the box. He picked it up and began to read it.

**_"To my only grandson: _**

_**May my teachings benefit you well.**_

_**And that your dreams may remain filled **_

_**with naked women and nothing else.**_

**_Love, your old fart of a grandfather."_**

"Old fart." Kyo chuckled to himself, "More like horny old fart." He grabbed the package and walked to his next class.

"Here we are. My last class." Hikaru looked up at Juanes. He really didn't look like his sister. He had a certain softness to his face; his expressions. He always looked at her with

such admiration, such love. If only Setsuna would look at her like that.

"Hey, Hikaru... You know how I feel about you right? Why can't you just give me a chance..."

"Juanes. Please don't. Not now." Hikaru placed her hand on his face.

She felt horrible about not being able to return his feelings. She wished she could. She wished she could give her heart to him entirely, but Setsuna had already taken it. She

frowned, Juanes taking notice decided to drop the subject. He bid her farewell and before he left, surprised her with a kiss on the cheek. He smiled fondly upon her and walked

away. Hikaru sighed and leaned against her classroom door. She watched Juanes walk away. Perhaps she should give him a chance. Maybe he could rip this masochistic addiction

she had to the exquisite pain of wanting someone so unattainable. She decided to give it a try. She ran after Juanes.

"Juanes! Pick me up tonight at seven." Hikaru forced a smile.

"It's a date?" Juanes asked.

"Yup. I decided that you deserved a chance."

Juanes hugged Hikaru, "You won't regret this! I promise."

"I love the rain. It just washes everything away. It's like a cleansing of the soul. When it rains, I feel this great sadness... and with this great sadness comes a faint sense of introspect.

Suddenly everything becomes so clear and I become another person entirely. I don't want to accept the other person that's me... it's difficult ...it's complicated."

Aya stared out the huge window of the cafe in a daze, her cheek resting on her hand. The smoke from Kaneshi's cigarette seemed to flood the air around them; Clouds of hypnosis.

The rain made mini waterfalls against the glass. She observed the people running from the rain, as if it were to kill them. She never understood why people would do that. It was just

water. Water...

_"Come in the water." She beckoned playfully._

_"No, I'm fine where I am." He assured._

_"Come on in."_

_"No, I can't. I have my clothes on."_

_"So? What are you afraid of? The water?"_

_He simply chuckled at her remark as he watched her swim provocotively through the river. The sunset reflected off the surface of the water in an array of bright warm _

_colors. Her movements made ripples that reached even him, as he sat on the grass at the edge. She grinned and began to mock his chuckle._

_"You are scared, aren't you!" She gasped in a fictitious look of shock, placing her hand over her mouth._

_"What! What do you want to see?" He stood up, taking his shirt off as he called out to her. "You want to see this! How about this?"_

_He rushed into the water with his pants and shoes still on. Her eyes widened in surprise. She laughed as he she attempted to run from him, but then realized it was _

_pointless to run with the weight of the water surrounding her. She turned to see him closing in on her and laughed hysterically as he caught her._

_"You win! You win!" She shouted in defeat as he embraced her tightly. She noticed something different about his smile this evening. It was the smile of complete _

_happiness. Love. It was love she noted in his eyes... in his appearance, in the way he held her._

_"What are you thinking?" She asked, gently wiping the drops of water from his face. He responded by kissing her passionately until she had no breath left. She melted _

_in his arms. _

_"I love you, Aya Moritaka." He said with that voice. That familiar voice. Who was it... Who was it...!_

_She opened her eyes and there he was. The man who created Himura... and who was slain by it. It was him. It was the man she had killed. It was..._

"...Setsuna...!" Aya gasped in a silent shock.

"Maybe it's difficult because it's so simple." Kaneshi placed his hand over Aya's. She shifted her gaze from the window to him in a sudden, swift motion. He looked directly into her

eyes; He had these intense brown eyes, they seemed empty. Something about them captivated her as she struggled to make sense of things.

"What?" Aya pulled back her hand and placed it on her lap.

"Maybe it's difficult because it's so simple. All you have to do is accept it. Accept who you are and everything that comes with it." Kaneshi took a sip from his tea, not removing his

gaze from Aya.

"I think I should be going home, now." Aya stood up from her chair.

"I'll take you." Kaneshi put out his cigarette.

"No, no, no. It's okay. I'll walk."

"In this rain?" Kaneshi looked out the window. The sky had grown darker and the rain began to pound hard on the streets.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Kaneshi. I can handle a little rain." Thunder suddenly echoed through the skies that made Aya jump up in fright. Kaneshi glanced at her facial expression

and couldn't help but laugh lightly.

"Don't worry. I'll take you. But under one condition, only."

"What is it?"

"Stop calling me Mr. Kaneshi. It's Hiro. My father was Mr. Kaneshi."

"Aya..." Setsuna whispered in the rain, as he stood infront of the door to her home. He tightened his grip around the object in his hands. "It's time to wake up, Aya...Time for a new

chapter in the same ol'story. I'm going to change our destiny. I promise you. "

Setsuna kissed the object in his hands and placed it at the foot of the Moritaka's doorstep. He then walked away, unaffected by the rain. Hikaru watched him from her bedroom

window, as he walked away from her front door. She placed her hand on the window as a tear fell from her eye.

"...Oh Setsuna, I'm dying to explain to you what's in my heart... what's on my mind everytime I see you... everytime I see the way you look at Aya. I know you love her as much as

I love you." Hikaru placed her other hand on her heart and cried outloud. " You don't have to say it, because I feel it so much it breaks my heart."

"Where are you going?" Rin said as she jumped on her brother's bed.

"I, dear sister, have a date." Juanes beamed with glee.

Rin's eye brows crossed as she watched Juanes put cologne on. "With who?"

"With no other than, Hikaru Moritaka."

"But Hikaru doesn't like you."

"Do you have to be such a downer? She decided to give me a chance to win her heart. Which I will, despite what you say." Juanes smiled at himself in the mirror. "Bueno, hermana,

adios. Wish me luck." Grabbing his car keys, he pet his sister's head affectionatley and left.

"Here we are." Hiro Kaneshi parked his car infront of an apartment complex Aya didn't recognize. He pulled the key out of the ignition while she glanced about in confusion.

"Where are we? I thought you were taking me home." Aya frowned.

"I can't see well with all this rain so I decided to bring you to my apartment since it's just a block away from the cafe." Hiro turned to face Aya only to see her pretty face frowning.

"It's only until the heavy rain passes."

Kyo sat on the floor in his room, with the package his grandfather had sent him, He opened the package in great anticipation only to find,

"A broom stick!" He pulled the object out of it's wrappings. "...No. It's grandfather's rod!" Kyo found something engraved on the opposite side of the rod, it read _Kilik . _It must be

the name of the rod, he thought. "...Kilik" Kyo began to practice everything his grandfather had taught him with the rod. Kyo then faced his mirror with the rod in hand and smiled,

but the smile quickly turned into a look of disorientation as he found himself covered in blood and in another's clothes. He looked around and realized he wasn't in his room

anymore. "Hikaru! Mom! Dad! AYA!" He yelled, taking a few steps back between every name. Suddenly, he tripped on something and fell to the ground. When he glanced to see

what it was he had tripped on, he gasped in horror. He had tripped over the body of a woman. "Kasumi..." He whispered as if he knew her. He spotted a small sword clenched in

the woman's left hand. A ninja sword? He thought to himself in confusion. She was left handed like him. It seemed someone had beaten her to death with an object. "Who could do

something like this?" he frowned in sympathy for the woman.

"Don't be cynical." a wounded man pulled himself to the woman's corpse. Grasping her body with the last of his strength; with tears in his eyes he buried his face in the woman's

neck and hair. He lifted his head in a violent rage, "YOU KILLED HER! You killed my wife!" The man's voice echoed through the area. "You killed everyone in our village! You

traitor! We took you in and fed you, clothed your murdering body and look! This is how you repay us! By slaughtering everyone..." The man began to cry, "...even my precious

Kasumi..." The man kissed the lips of his dead wife and died.

Kyo glanced about in denial, in confusion... He couldn't have done this. How could he? He doesn't know these people. He's never been in this place. He gagged at the sight of all

the dead bodies in the area. How could he have done this if he didn't even have a weapon! Kyo looked at his hands, his right hand was tainted in blood and in his left was a rod. In

fear he slowly turned the rod and spotted the engraved part...it read... _Kilik. _He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the rod.

Kyo opened his eyes and found himself back in his room, still facing the mirror. He glanced at his bedroom door and there found Hikaru staring at him.

"Who's Kasumi, big brother?" she inquired.

"You have a nice apartment." Aya walked through Hiro Kaneshi's apartment. Everything seemed normal, so he wasn't some serial killing rapist. She sighed in relief, laughing slightly

at herself for thinking such nonsense. Aya began taking note of all the artwork he had in his apartment. "You like art alot don't you Mr... Uhm Hiro?"

"You have no idea." He grinned.

There was this particular area in his apartment that was not lit. It was a corridor; A hall way probably leading to his room. Aya blushed when she thought of his room. Switching on

the light of the hall way, she began to walk through the hall. On the walls in the hall were paintings that portrayed a beautiful lady with a sword; All were of the same young woman.

A few of the paintings depicted the girl in fighting stances, Aya recognized. The fighting stances were those her grandmother had taught to her. She continued to take steps forward

never lifting her gaze from the paintings. The girl, she seemed so familiar. In every step she took, she felt more nostalgic. In every painting she laid her eyes on she saw a

resemblance to herself, until she came to the last painting at the end of the hall, infront of the entrance to Hiro's room.

The paintings were of her. She felt a tear fall from her eye as she placed her hand on the painting. Why was she crying? Why did she feel this sudden wave of sadness over come

her. It was a portrait of Aya and a man. They were kissing. She continued to stare at the painting. Her fingers traced the outline of the man's face... why couldn't she remember?

"What are you doing?" Hiro asked.

"Why do you have this painting?" Aya cried.

"It's a collection, I've had for a very long time."

"Who painted them?" Aya wiped away her tears, in embarrassment.

Aya watched Hiro walk towards her. She faced the painting, still wiping her wet face. He stood behind her also looking at the painting. She felt his presence behind her. She sensed

him take a step closer to her.

"What you really want to know is, who is he? Who's the man with you in the painting?"

Aya turned to face Hiro, she didn't realize he was so close. She crossed her eyebrows in anger. "Who is he?"

Hiro nudged her against the wall under the painting. She felt his breath on her face. He placed one hand on the wall and another on her arm, to keep her from moving.

"You already know the answer to that question, so stop ignoring it. It's time to wake up, Aya!"

"Wake up! I'm not asleep!"

"Is the past too tramatizing for you to deal with? Is that why you refuse to remember? Aya you're a warrior, stop playing the role of the fragile girl."

"I'm out of here." She pushed Hiro away from her, only to be pulled closer to him.

"Stop running away, Aya." Hiro pushed her roughly against the wall and kissed her.

Aya threw her arms around his neck, instantly returning the kiss. Something felt familiar about his lips on hers. She's felt them before. The scent of him, she had smelled it before.

She entangled her hands in his hair as he began to kiss her neck. Her head swung back as her eyes opened.

_"You! How could you possibly love anyone? You're not capable of such a feeling. You're cold and heartless. You spit on people who aren't as rich as you are or as well _

_educated." She looked at him in anger, she spoke to him in disgust. "I pity your poor soul that will be flung into the fires of hell for the mistakes you've made."_

_He laughed at her bravery, it intrigued him. She intrigued him... she always has. He did love her, that was no false."There are no such things as mistakes. There are _

_things you do and things you don't do." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, kissing her without warning. "Like this. It wasn't a mistake, it was an _

_intention."_

_She pushed herself away and pointed her sword at him. "Do you wish to die?"_

_"I see you enjoyed the kiss, otherwise, you wouldn't have returned it." He grinned, pulling his sword out._

_"You disgust me." She spit, wiping away the taste of his lips from her mouth. It began to rain as they crossed swords._

_"Are you sure?" He kept on grinning. _

_She gave a good fight but in the end lost to him. She was on the floor covered in mud. _

_"You were right about my soul being tossed into the dark abyss of the underworld. That's why..." He agreed as he gave his hand to help her stand back up. She _

_reluctantly took it, as she did he took advantage and pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear..._

_"...You're the closest to heaven that'll ever be. And I don't want to let go." He kissed her again with the passion she inspired in him. After kissing her he looked at her _

_facial expression and felt satisfied. "I want to paint you."_

_"That's going to cost you" She said with rage as she walked away. "You get off easy this time Kaneshiro, but next time I'll collect your head." She smirked._

Aya pushed Hiro away from her and ran out his apartment, picking up her bookbag on the way out. Hiro stood in the same place, the fragrance of her hair lingered on his hands, his

fingers. He knew what he needed to do. He glanced at the painting above him and grinned. "Still running away as always, Aya."


	3. Chapter 3 Dos Amantes

"So you had a real life vision? And this chick, Kasumi was one of the people you had killed?" Hikaru sat on the floor of her brother's room, scratching her head in confusion. She bit the side of her lip in contemplation of what Kyo had just confessed to her. "You know, Aya's been having dreams about events she has no recollection of. Grandma Xianghua told her they were pieces of her past life trying to resurface. Maybe that's what's happening to you."

"But Aya has her visions in dream like form. I live them." Kyo wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It freaked me out, sis. This guy was accusing me of things I would never do. I had blood on my hands... it was insane."

Hikaru heard the door bell ring and immediately remembered her date with Juanes. She stood up from the floor, "We should talk about this when Aya gets here."

"Who's that?"

"It's Juanes. I have a date with him tonight."

"You have a date with Juanes?" Kyo laughed. "Have a good time" Kyo winked as Hikaru walked out of his room.

"_You can never erase the blood stains, no matter how hard you try. You can't get rid of this side of you, Kyo. I will always be a part of you. " _

Kyo glanced at his reflection in the mirror, and there he was. The other him, the one from the past. Kyo glanced at his hands then at his rod.

"_The apocolapse of the lives of you and your sisters is upon us. It's time you remember what your life was like before this one." _The image of him stated from inside of the mirror. An awesome light emanated from the mirror and engulfed Kyo into the mere nothingness.

Aya stood infront of his door, soaked in water from the neverending rain she had just escaped. She shivered from the hallway's air shaft, as she waited for him to answer the door. Aya's chest was filled with this warm sensation, it felt like love. But how does love feel like? She thought if love felt like anything it felt like this. How could all of this happen within a period of 24 hours! Well, her feelings for him didn't just appear today when she had the flashback. It was pent up for a long time. What do you do when your life becomes a rainstorm?

_"What do you do when your life becomes a rainstorm?" She inquired sadly._

_"Well" He hesitated, glancing at her frown. "It's the rain that's interfering with your life. So you just run right into the eye of the storm. Then yell as hard as you can at the rain, saying, 'I'M STRONGER THAN YOU, SO BACK OFF!' " He yelled._

_"Then what?" She smiled, deepening her dimples._

_"Then the rain will run away like a little girl." He said laughing._

His laugh, the way he looked at her. She never thought about him in such a way. She didn't know him in that sense. She needed to talk to him, she needed to know everything. Was she taking this too fast? But even if she was, all those memories were from her past life, so all of this was meant to be... wasn't it? It didn't matter now, she was here and she didn't like to back out on things. Aya glanced at her cellphone, it was 10:00 pm, her mother must be worried. She turned off the phone, the only thing that mattered now was him and her. The door suddenly opened, and there he stood. The man in her memories, the man from her previous life. Every part of him appeared to be the same... there was only one way to find out.

Juanes smiled as he watched Hikaru laugh at his joke. He wished he could be the air that escaped her everytime she laughed. He loved how her nose would crunch up at the bridge when she giggled. Her hair appeared to be soft and silky. He wondered why she kept it short and didn't let it grow longer. He admired every strand of her hair, every eyelash that casted a shadow on her naturally rosey cheeks; her flawless skin. God only knew how much he adored this woman. He didn't even know why or when this love began... it didn't matter now. No one will ever love her as much as he did.

"Juanes, it's time to go." Hikaru smiled when she noticed Juanes was in a daze. She could do this... this forget about Setsuna thing. She could fall inlove with him. She already liked him. This date proved to be beneficial for both of them. Hikaru watched Juanes blink back into reality; her smile widened when he realized she was staring at him. He smiled back. He brought a warmth to her, a calming feeling. He made her feel like she was basking in the light of the sun.

_"I love you Hikaru..." he whispered into her ear as his hand fell to the ground._

Hikaru jerked her whole body, as if she had just awoken from a bad dream. She blinked in confusion.

"What was that?" She whispered to herself.

Kyo walked through the drenched streets with a cellphone in one hand and his umbrella in the other. He couldn't believe what he had remembered. He had to find his sisters, and soon. Running wouldn't help since he had no idea, where to run to. He watched pieces of newspaper and bottle caps float into the sewer, the wind made the rain pound hard on his jacket and shoes. He sighed as he lifted his gaze to the sidewalk ahead of him and what seemed to be a woman fighting with her umbrella. He smirked at her poor attempt of getting it to work. He hurried to help her.

"Excuse me miss. Do you need help with that?" He asked, putting his cellphone into his pocket.

The young woman with long strawberry red hair, lifted her gaze to Kyo. Her face was partially blocked by the shadow of his umbrella and the light of the street lamp. He placed his umbrella over her and smiled. She looked at him and sighed in relief,

"Thank You" She said, stepping closer to Kyo under the umbrella. Kyo could smell her hair, it smelled of cherry blossoms and strawberries. And with that, Kyo blinked and saw her corpse on the ground. The weeping man over her. Kyo rubbed his eyes with his free hand and paused. He quickly examined her face.

"Kasumi?"

"Aya? Wh-"

Aya ran towards him, wrapping her arms around him immediately and kissing him.

_"I love you, Aya Moritaka." _

Aya slowly pulled away. She smiled warmly when she noticed his eyes were still closed tightly. She placed her hands on his face, gently.

"Setsuna... you can open your eyes now."

"If I do, will you still be there or will I be dreaming again?"

"If you knew... Why didn't you tell me?" He smelled so familiar. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

Setsuna smiled sadly as he placed his hand on Aya's wet face. "Aya..." He stroked her soft skin with his thumb. He pulled his hand away. "Aya, why are you here?"

"Because I want to know if you're by my side because you care about me or because you think I'm your Aya. Because you think the old Aya is going to resurface and love you like she did."

"...Like you did..." Setsuna's head fell and he shook it from left to right slowly, as if to shake the old memories out. "Like you did."

Aya wrapped her bony fingers around Setsuna's chin, bringing his face up to meet hers. "Like I _did_."

Setsuna stared at her. She was so full of anger and confusion. He just wanted her to know how badly he wanted her, how much he loved her... how much he had missed her.

"Setsuna... what if I'm not your Aya?"

"I don't know and I don't care... because all I see is you."

He admired the very essense of her being. There she stood... the epitamy of perfection. Her soft unblemished skin. Her dark brown eyes and the thick outline of eyelashes. The way her bangs covered her eyebrows and the shape of her face. The way her long black hair cascaded across her back... and her smell. She smelled of Heaven. He remembered the shape of her lips and the way she used to taste. He sighed.

"Did you know I missed you?"

He couldn't play this coy game anymore. He was tired of waiting, tired of the questions. Setsuna suddenly grabbed Aya and pushed his lips unto hers with a passion so strong they both felt it. Never removing his lips from hers, he lead her into his apartment. He shut the door behind them. Aya gasped for air between every kiss as he removed his shirt and nudged her onto the bed.

"Setsuna... " Aya whispered with her eyes shut tightly. "What are you doing?"

"Helping you recognize me." Setsuna buried his face into her neck, caressing every part of her.

"Here we are." Hikaru said, as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Yea, here we are." Juanes repeated quietly.

"Um...I had a wonderful time... Thanks."

Hikaru stepped out of the car, into the rain that had seemed to have swallowed all of Tokyo. It was always so awkward on first dates. She hated it. She sighed, why did she feel so sad to leave him? It broke her heart to hear him say, "Yea, here we are." Oh... she was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice she was being drenched. She looked at the dark sky as it continued to rain on her. She started to walk towards her house. The lights were off, no one was home. She then, felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly turned around.

"Hikaru... I can't be your friend anymore."

"Wh-"

"Because, I love you too much..."

"Juan-"

" Don't go."

Juanes grabbed her tightly and buried his face into her neck. The rain poured down hard on them. Hikaru remained motionless as Juanes tightened his grip around her.

"Don't go...stay with me. I can't live... without you."

_"Are you going to teach me to shoot this arrow or not?" She said impatiently._

_"Ok, ok. Calm down. Nothing is more scary than you getting annoyed." He frowned._

_"Hey respect me. I'm the priestess-"_

_"You can be the Queen and I would still treat you the same. Now come here..."_

_He grabbed her from behind placing his hands over hers and around the bow and arrow._

_"Hey!" _

_"Now listen, you position it like this. Keep it steady. This might sound strange, but be the arrow. If you can accomplish that than you can become the best archer in the world."_

_He felt warm against her back. She smiled at the feel of his chest moving with every breath he took. She leaned back onto him, letting her head lay on his chest. His heart beat was comforting. Being with him made everything seem beautiful. He dropped the bow and arrow and put his arms around her. He kissed her on her cheek. His lips felt the warmth of her skin._

_"As if I am cursed all I want to see is you again. To see you is my only reason for existing." He confessed._

"As if I am cursed all I want to see is you again. To see you is my only reason for existing." Juanes confessed.

"I'll stay..." she stated as she closed her eyes and began to weep quietly in his arms.


End file.
